Onward Christian Soldiers

The Natural Speaks of the Supernatural

By Pastor Tri Robinson

The authors of the New Testament taught the truths about the unseen spiritual realm through the use of metaphors. They made parallels between what can be seen and known with some concepts that were often difficult to grasp. Paul opened his letter to the Romans saying, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” [Rom. 1:20] One of the most frequently used parallels in the New Testament speaks of war. Jesus is pictured as a mighty warrior who came to do battle against evil. John said, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”[1Jn.3:8] 

For years the church has sung the verses of that famous old hymn, “Onward Christian solders marching off to war with the cross of Jesus going on before…” which refers to all of Peter and Paul’s inferences to those who are fully committed to the cause of Christ. [1 Tim. 2:3] The New Testament reveals a great battle between righteousness and evil, a battle for the souls of men. Paul said, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” [Eph. 6:12]  As Christians we have never been called to passivity, but rather to battle. We are called to war, to fight the good fight of faith. [1 Tim. 6:12] The New Testament ends with a great battle against the worst of all evil doers who has deceived the world – an anti-Christ who has inflicted great suffering and sorrow, forcing people into submission through tactics of fear. [Rev. 13]  In Revelation 19, we see a picture of Jesus the warrior; “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war… The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.” Jesus came to establish His Kingdom, to rule and reign in the lives of men. He came in gentleness, compassion and mercy to bring peace to mankind, but that peace would come at the expense of great suffering, even his death. This is a side of Christianity that we would rather overlook but we cannot ignore the fact that trials and suffering are primary themes throughout the New Testament.

The visible speaks of the invisible – the natural of the supernatural. Physical war is a picture of the spiritual battle every Christian person is called to fight. The war against Saddam Hussein and his evil regimen gives us an opportunity to understand the internal spiritual battles we must fight if we have any hope for lasting peace. James said, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” [James 4:1] In order to win this internal battle we must be soldiers who are willing to put on our armor and do battle. We must understand some basic principles of war.

1.  Understand your enemy.

To be victorious we must know we are fighting an enemy that hates righteousness and will do anything to win. This enemy can’t be ignored; he revels in a passive people who would dare to think that he can be put aside. The enemy we fight controls people with tactics of fear and deception a hundred times greater than a dictator like Saddam Hussein. This enemy will stop at nothing to maintain control. He will put innocent people in the line of fire to prevent liberation and freedom. He is a liar and the ultimate prince of deception. Unless we understand this about him, we can do little to fight against him. Peter told us to “be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” [1Peter 5:8]

2.      Know your allies and avoid friendly fire.

We are in a battle with an enemy who loves to create crossfire so we end up wounding or killing the very people we love. So often when we are in the heat of battle we forget who our enemy really is and end up destroying our allies – families, marriages and meaningful relationships – as a result of being overwhelmed with the stresses and fears of conflict. We are called to unity as we fight. We must stand back-to-back to protect one another in our vulnerability and weakness.

3.      Stand firm and never waver.

Referring to this spiritual battle, Paul told the Ephesians to “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…” [Eph. 6:13]  In order to stand we must be informed and know the truth; we must have a conviction for righteousness and hate evil. We must have a passion to see God’s Kingdom fully established in our lives.

4.      Be relentless for victory.

In his address to the military this past week, President Bush spoke with great conviction and confidence as he told our armed forces that we would be relentless for victory. This must be the attitude of all who enter the battle. In Galatians 5, Paul gives us a clear list of those things that represent our sinful nature and the fruits of righteousness. He tells us, “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” [Gal. 5:17] As we review his list we are forced to make a choice, either to embrace this new victorious life with God or to stay captive to our old sinful nature. Christ as our commander and chief promises to lead us to victory, but we must fully commit ourselves to his cause.

5.      Know your orders and obey them.

Paul once said to Timothy, “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience.” [1 Tim. 1:18] The Bible gives every believer a clear set of marching orders. There is no excuse for error for those who know God’s Word. The important thing is not to listen to man’s opinions that may clutter the airways. One of the greatest detriments in the war we are presently fighting to free the oppressed in Iraq is the confusion brought on by so many opinions and propaganda. This is true of the inner war that we fight as Christians as well.  Sometimes I think we make the mistake of listening to too many voices and read too many self helps books instead of going directly to the original authentic source of truth.

6.      Trust in your commander and chief – believe his cause is worthy.

Presently 74% of the nation believes in the heart and motives of our President.  The remaining 26% is a loud minority exercising their rights and free will as free American people in protests against the war. The Kingdom of God is the same – God gives every man a free will to accept Him or reject Him. God is not a dictator, and knows that authentic love and faithfulness requires freedom. The degree of effectiveness of our soldiers on the front lines of battle is directly related to the degree of their belief in the cause of their commander and chief – and what they are fighting for. The parallel to our effectiveness as soldiers is much the same – the depth of our trust in God and belief in the truth of His Word is related to our effectiveness in our internal battle with an enemy that hates us and desires to hold us in the bondage of sin.

7.      Know God’s objective is peace – fight without fear.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” [Jn. 14:27] The peace that we seek is not the peace the world would give but rather an internal peace that can only come from above. Those who try to fight the battles of life without God will always suffer from the fears of failure and loss. Our confidence and resolve can only come from the Lord.